Behind the Mask
by rallybabe89
Summary: Hinata runs into Itachi only to see that she doesn't need to fear him but instead he is the one who fears her strength. Her strength to fight all the clan injustices. In the end autumn feels like spring while hope has been given birth to when masks break.


_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_**this is for the October 2008 DateMe competition where the pairing has to be Itachi and Hinata here's the prompt please tell me if there's something missing so i can fix, finish and then upload for the contest. Let me know what you think. Seriously I really do need ur opinions on this.  
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_The scariest thing you can do is give your heart away to someone..._

_And that's assuming they don't want to eat it or anything weird like that._

_**Challenge:** Fearless Hearts  
**Pairing:** ItaHina  
**Deadline:** 31st October 2008  
__The deadline for each contest is the last day of its assigned month. You must get your entry in by 6:00AM (EST) the following day (the 1st) to be considered during the voting process.  
_

_For this theme, please be sure to:_

_**1 )**Include the pairing ItaHina (whether romantic or not)._

_**2 )** Place them in a fall setting (Ex: pumpkins, spiders, ceasing photosynthesis, etc.)_

_**3 )** Utilize the theme of "fear." (Ex: you may depict Itachi and Hinata at a Halloween party, you may dress them up in cute costumes – have them cosplay as other anime characters, if you want – have one comfort the other after a close call with a phobia, etc.)_

_**4 )** Be creative! The Japanese don't celebrate Halloween, but that doesn't mean that the west can't run with it._

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Dying, that's what everything around Hinata was doing. The trees, the grass, the pretty blue flowers, that reminded her why she was risking her life- and her teammates were all dying.

Her team had been trailing Itachi and Kisame for a while but during the chase Hinata had split up from Kisame and her boys, Kiba and Shino, while keeping tabs on Itachi. She knew that if she could follow the Uchiha then her long time crush would be able to get his best friend back. She was doing well up until she saw two swirling red dots then everything became dead and dark.

Hinata didn't fear death for herself. In fact she welcomed death everyday of her life since the dreaded day her father left her to train with Kuranei sensei. Waking up every day to hear her father's taunts and to be eyed with glares and belittling expressions hurt her. She would love an easy escape called death. Hinata didn't fear death but she wasn't fearless.

The one thing she did fear was leaving this world without making an impact or being strong enough to save her friends.

And Itachi knew that.

As his active Sharingan spun trapping the Hyuuga heiress in a self imposed prison, he contemplated whether he could ever invoke that fear in real life.

He wondered if he had the heart to break and shatter the delicate person that Hinata was.

But as he watched her struggle against the bindings that her own mind had put on her body, he saw that she was much stronger than he was. Her strength also provoked his fear; fear that he had done wrong by murdering his clan and listening to the Elders.

To him, she had the innocent mindset that everything that the village and the elders did was right. She believed that her family and clan could never be wrong.

But then again Itachi hadn't been watching the heiress battle her own kin against the threads of destiny. After all Hinata had fought against her clan and the elders before. She had tried to fight her cousin and knock it into his head that the clan could be changed without violence. She was innocent to avoid murder but she still fought against the Council and the elders when they tried to give Hanabi the title of heir.

The cool autumn wind smacked him hard across the face as he realized that indeed the sweet and innocent Hinata was breaking away from his Sharingan, a feat that only the pink-haired apprentice of the Hokage had done before.

Breathing the fresh scent of the darkening forest in, he released his Sharingan and looked at the frail yet much more powerful being that lay on the ground in front of him.

Walking slowly over to her, he wiped off her sweat and helped her up. Smiling slightly he let her lean on him as she had no power to fight him nor escape.

Even if she wanted to escape, he couldn't let her.

Hinata opened her eyes and saw the smiling face of Itachi. For a moment she was shocked and tried to tell her that her mind was playing tricks on her again but when she had no strength and leaned herself on him she came to the conclusion that she couldn't even fight him.

Turning to see his newly exposed face, Hinata could see years being lifted off of the nineteen-year-olds' face. The mask he wore to cause fear among others was lifted and Hinata could see the pain that was hidden behind it.

She summoned up her strength and wiped a tear from Itachi's eyes as she listened to his heart breaking tale of a clan, loyalty to a village and a brother who hated him beyond belief.

And that was the day that Hinata no longer feared anything as she left an impact on the Uchiha's heart. Maybe this wasn't really autumn but spring in disguise for the two of them, bringing a new beginning and a birth of a new relationship and understanding.

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_**A.N: Please tell me what you think before I submit this. I think it might have not covered everything in the prompt because of its short length. Thanks. REVIEW!!**_

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